can the sucker be allowed to grow on the pear tree

Question

The pear tree has been neglected. As a result, a sucker has grown from the bottom and is taller than the pear tree and it is well designed. It looks much better than the actual pear tree. The pear tree bears heavy with pears. My question is, since the sucker looks much better than the pear tree, if I cut the regular pear tree down and keep the sucker would it bear pears? I notice the sucker pear has small pears on it about the size of a marble. Would appreciate any info on this tree before I prune it. Thanks, Mr Hammons

Answer 1

It depends on how the pear tree was grown and where the sucker is coming from. Look for a graft scar. It will either be near the crown of the tree or near the base.

If there is a graft scar, if the sucker is growing from below the graft scar, then it likely would not be a good idea to keep the sucker. This means the sucker is growing from the rootstock and, typically, inferior fruiting trees are used as rootstock. If the sucker is growing from above the graft scar, then it is from the scion and will be the same variety of pear as was growing there before and so can stay.

If there is no graft scar, this is a true sucker thrown up by the tree and it is perfectly fine to let take over as the main trunk of the tree.